News

The FDA has accepted a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) seeking approval for selinexor (Xpovio) for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma following at least 1 previous line of therapy.

I love introducing new nurses to the joy of oncology nursing. The process is gratifying, stressful, and brings much happiness and meaning to my work. However, this year is difficult for everyone including the new nurses, preceptors, and educators.

The management of elderly patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic presents unique challenges, according to Christine Sam, MD, and strategies to reduce risk of exposure and limit treatment-related immunosuppression and toxicities are key to ensuring the health and safety of this population as they continue to receive treatment during this time.

Lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) was added to the Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) on July 7, 2020 for the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to a press release from Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for a cancer recurrence.

Heather Han, MD, discusses ongoing clinical trials within the field of HER2-positive breast cancer and the future of personalized treatment for this patient population.

Veterans with newly diagnosed lung cancer who had mental health disorders tended to have better cancer outcomes if they participated in mental health treatment.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many elective surgical procedures had been cancelled or rescheduled to maximize hospital capacity and prevent unnecessary exposure for patients, but surgical delays might lead to worse outcomes for certain patients with gastrointestinal cancers.

Treatment with the BTK inhibitor acalabrutinib resulted in decreased inflammation and improve outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19.

The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 12 to 0 in favor of approving belantamab mafodotin for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have previously received at least 4 prior therapies, including an immunomodulatory drug, a proteasome inhibitor, and a CD38-directed antibody.

Pap and HPV testing can decrease cervical cancer risk, but testing intervals seem to be sporadic for patients.

Only a small percentage of patients with kidney cancer who are considered to be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 have actually been tested for infection.

The FDA recently released guidelines expanding clinical trial eligibility for investigational cancer drugs for pediatric patients.

During his presentation, Michael A. Postow, MD, briefly reviewed the latest updates with immunotherapy and other targeted treatments in melanoma reported during the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

Efbemalenograstim alpha (F-627) has demonstrated strong and lasting benefit when used as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in patients with breast cancer, meeting the primary and secondary end points of a phase 3 study.

The FDA has granted priority review to a new supplemental biologics license application for pembrolizumab monotherapy as a treatment for adult patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

We want to hear from nurses about your comfort in having end-of-life discussions.

Each Friday, Oncology Nursing News poses a question on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and invites readers to share their thoughts and experiences with each other. Here’s what readers had to say about the thoughtful comments of their patients, and how their job has changed their outlook on life.

Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid traditionally used in cancer treatment, may be beneficial in treating patients with the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Liquid biopsy with circulating tumor DNA could help alleviate some of the challenges of tissue biopsy in prostate cancer, and in doing so, lead to a better precision medicine model in the field.

The FDA has issued a clinical hold on the phase 1 MELANI-01 trial evaluating the CAR T-cell product UCARTCS1A in the treatment of patient with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, according to Cellectis, the manufacturer of the product.

The drug combination can be taken orally, at home.

Patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who later develop central nervous system (CNS) metastases comprise a large population of all patients with breast cancer, and there continue to be an unmet need for this subgroup, explained Brian Czerniecki, MD, PhD.

LaTour was the emcee for the Extraordinary Healer Award Dinner, which honors the work of oncology nurses and is hosted every year at the Oncology Nursing Society Annual Congress. She was also a co-founder of CURE Magazine, as well as an author and breast cancer survivor. She died on June 19.

Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) could provide patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who harbor HER2 exon 20 insertion mutations and high HER2 expression a more specific and less toxic treatment compared with platinum doublet chemotherapy. However, the jury is still out on whether the agent will be pursued as an alternative frontline therapy and in both patient subsets.

The combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and bevacizumab (Avastin) demonstrated comparable clinical activity and safety versus sorafenib (Nexavar) in older and younger patients with previously untreated, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

CAR T-cell therapies have represented an exciting breakthrough in the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies, according to Natalie Sophia Grover, MD; however, investigators are just scratching the surface of the potential of this modality, and work is needed to expand this approach to other diseases and solid tumors.

A new drug application (NDA) has been submitted to the FDA for pralsetinib (BLU-667) for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and RET fusion–positive thyroid cancers, according to an announcement from Blueprint Medicines, the developer of the drug.

Each month, we take a look back at the most popular Oncology Nursing News stories. Here are the top 5 stories from June 2020.